MY PERFECT XI SHAUN WRIGHT- PHILLIPS

The former winger picks a side of greats he shared a pitch with, including a man so good they named a position after him. Best of all: this formation actually works...

PETR CECH

“As soon as I got to Chelsea, you could see he was special. It wasn’t just his size; it was his agility and command of the box. He was a fantastic shot- stopper. A half- hearted shot wouldn’t beat him – it had to be top- drawer.”

JOSE BOSINGWA

“Jose was underrated: technically good, as well as being calm on the ball. He defended solidly pretty much all of the time and was very good in one- on- one situations, which is so important. And as soon as he got the ball, he always looked to go forward.”

JOHN TERRY

“He was the leader: he fought for players and wore his heart on his sleeve. But he was also a very capable footballer with his feet. One thing I learned as an attacking player is that it’s OK to lose the ball at times because there is cover at the back; you can trust the people behind you. He made me think that way.”

VINCENT KOMPANY

“Vincent rose to prominence in a similar way to Terry – he had all of those same leadership qualities. He started off in midfield, but knew that he would be far more effective dropping to centre- back. What he achieved captaining Manchester City was outstanding. Playing against him was a wonderful challenge too.”

ASHLEY COLE

“We had some terrific battles when he was at Arsenal, and to play with him at club and international level was a privilege. He was always one of the hardest defenders to beat as an attacker because he rarely dived in and didn’t often go to ground. He made it a living hell to play against him.”

YAYA TOURE

“Phenomenal – unbelievable – and he never got the praise he deserved. He made the game look so easy, the way he’d glide past people, use both feet, create goals and score a lot of them, too. If you have someone who can dictate play and take a game by the scruff of the neck, it’s a win- win.”

CLAUDE MAKELELE

“He was a maestro. For me, he made the defensive midfield position what it is today. Amazingly, he rarely got booked, no matter how many free- kicks he gave away. He was happy going unseen, tidying up after people. Breaking down the play and providing simple passes was like a goal or an assist for Claude. He was so vital to Chelsea when I arrived.”

STEVEN GERRARD

“People always ask me to compare him to Frank Lampard. Lamps was fantastic, but Stevie’s footballing technique and the goals he scored were unreal. The way he carried Liverpool to win the Champions League, and throughout his career, was incredible. On top of that, he was a gentleman off the pitch.”

ARJEN ROBBEN

“He was a different sort of winger to what we were used to seeing in the Premier League at that time. His change of direction at max speed was amazing and he would always find a way to wriggle past you. Even if you showed him onto his right foot, he was so sharp that he could go back to his left foot.”

DIDIER DROGBA

“It didn’t matter what the game was, Didier [ below] always made sure defenders never wanted to see him again! If you wanted to be aggressive with him, he’d be aggressive, but he also knew when and where to win a foul. He was scarily good. It was a delight for me, as a winger, because he’d constantly fight and do everything he could to get on the end of your crosses.”

DAVID SILVA

“I remember when he arrived at City – Joleon Lescott and I were wondering what all of the hype was about. We had a good laugh about it; Joleon said, ‘ He’s about the same size as you!’ It took us about 15 minutes in that first training session to realise how brilliant a player we had. From that day, we nicknamed David ‘ Merlin’.”

Shaun spoke to FFT via Freebets. com